Pitchfork

Compiling a Delerium discography isn't an easy task. First off, they're on about half a dozen different record labels. Secondly, most of the releases are out of print. Third, there are two techno bands that share the same name, making the whole ordeal confusing at best.

The Delerium in question, however, is the ambient industrial duo from Vancouver doing time on Nettwerk. Their latest release, Karma, is an overdose follow- up to the band's previous Nettwerk release, 1994's Semantic Spaces.

The music is a beat- heavy, flowing soundscape that comes close at times to trance techno and is a perfect example of what happens when two industrial megastars figure out all the other sounds their keyboards can make. Don't be confused, Delerium is Rhys Fulber and Bill Leeb of Front Line Assembly, in a much more mellow and groovy mood, and they've dragged their friends along to join in the party-- most notably label- mates Kristy Thirsk of Rose Chronicles and Sarah McLachlan.

Jumping from Enigma- esque chanting monks to the angelic musings of Thirsk and McLachlan and back to lengthy Dead Can Dance samples covers a wide range of musical influences, but Delerium manages to pull off the transitions without making you wonder if your CD player is on random play.

To be fair, what Delerium is doing isn't new, and it's never been an original concept, but they pull it off well, making Karma a disc that I couldn't pull from my player for weeks.